Apple’s stuck a 27in iPad on a stand and called it the Studio Display (and we’re fine with that)

Apple’s new Studio Display is a weird creature. And we’re weirdly fine with that. It’s as if the company took a 27in Retina display, stuck the internals for an iPad to the back of it, and then stuck it on a stand. It’s… honestly not a terrible idea. Apple’s tablets have been awesome for a while now. This might well seal the deal for some users unsure about the hardware.

The Studio Display contains all of its internal components in the back, much like an iMac. But it’s much skinnier, and not quite as powerful as a full-fat desktop PC. Because… well, it’s a tablet.

Vulgar Studio Display of Power

The main item powering this screen — because that’s kinda what it is — is an A13 Bionic chip. It spent time inside the iPhone 11 lineup, as well as one of the iPads. Apple must have had quite a few left over if this is what it’s doing with them.

So it’s got enough smarts to be a smaller device, but it’s tethered to a desk. What good does that do? Actually, quite a bit. It’s a dandy home entertainment system. The 27in Retina screen is perfect for watching whatever Apple has on offer on Apple TV+ (which is another service the company punted this evening). True Tone and P3 wide colour support only help its case, as does the 600 nits of brightness.

Sounds good to us

And then there are other entertainment-focused features. There’s a six-speaker audio system, with four woofers and two tweeters, that enable Spatial Audio support. Apple’s very braggy about this addition, and they might even be right to be. Music and movies should sound excellent coming out of this screen/tablet… thingy.

It’s also designed with communication in mind. Center Stage, the camera tech that keeps you in frame, is enabled by the front-facing camera. There is a three-mic array for video calls, so keeping in touch may be done with very high fidelity.

Need more? Sure. There are three USB-C ports and a single Thunderbolt that outputs enough power to fast-charge a 14in MacBook Pro. The Studio Display is powerful enough to support up to three extra displays if that’s what you really want. And then there are the peripherals. Expect new Magic Keyboard, Apple Mouse and Trackpad colour options to match your shiny new Apple thingy when it launches in a few weeks. Oh, and also expect adjustable stands or wall mounts, if you feel like splurging on some optional extras.

This brings us to the price. Overseas, expect to pay at least $1,600. That’s a not-insubstantial but also not terrifying R25,000. The main question is going to be: What would we actually use the Studio Display for? Guess we’ll find out.